2017 Golfdom Report: Climbing up the mountain

With rounds up, open-minded superintendents see the potential for gains in 2017.

When it comes to expectations for the economy of the golf industry, numbers have remained relatively steady over the last four years, with the only major change coming in the percentage of readers who are “very optimistic.” More readers (24 percent in 2014 and 25 percent in 2015) said they are “very optimistic” compared with 9 percent in 2016 and 11.5 percent this year.

“I’m optimistic that it’s a little bit on the rise. I’m hopeful we finally bottomed out, and I think it’s going to be a slow climb back up the mountain,” says David Radaj, CGCS at Green Acres CC in Northbrook, Ill. “It seems like there’s some golf course construction again, guys are buying more equipment, irrigation systems are going in, golf is picking up.”

It was a good year for rounds played for survey respondents, with 49 percent reporting rounds were up at their courses and only 19 percent saying they were down (32 percent reported rounds played were “level.”)

Rick Mooney, superintendent at Whitetail Club in McCall, Idaho, believes that golf’s grow-the-game initiatives are taking hold. While he doesn’t expect a big jump in golfers, he thinks there will be growth because clubs are being proactive to get customers.

“Golf is not the only driver in club business anymore,” Mooney says. “You have to be fully amenitized to do multiple things. You’ve got to be something to everybody 365 days a year. It’s just a changed environment.”

Thad Thompson, superintendent at Terry Hills GC in Batavia, N.Y., is a believer that golf is and should embrace making the game more fun and less rules obsessed.

“If you’re sitting in a divot, move the damn thing. It’s not that big of a deal, especially at this level, where people aren’t playing for the U.S. Open,” he says. “To attain the goal of catching the younger player, I think we are going to have to embrace technology. I see a day in the not-too-distant future where you’re going to have WiFi-enabled carts. Everybody wants to stay connected. Golf is a commitment of time, so anything we can do to make that time even more enjoyable when they aren’t swinging the club or lining up a shot, but multi-tasking on their phones.

“We are competing with other entertainment options like the movies and restaurants for that dollar, but I think we are doing a pretty good job,” Thompson continues. “I think for the most part we’re seeing more disposable income, because that’s what our business is looking for, people’s disposable income.”

Two superintendents mentioned Topgolf — a golf game recently featured on Golfdom’s cover (November 2016) that reportedly drew 8 million customers across the United States in 2015 and currently sees 35,000 players a day — as a reason they were hopeful to see golf’s numbers grow.

“I’ve seen a lot coming from the Topgolf concept, exposing a lot of new people to golf,” says Eric Frazier, CGCS, Willow Oaks CC in Richmond, Va. “I’m excited about Topgolf’s concept. We’re also seeing a huge push with the PGA Junior League. At Willow Oaks, our biggest growth segment has been from Junior League.”